How Many Millions Will Casey Anthony Make Now?

So-called "Tot Mom" stands to make money stemming from the death of her daughter, as much as she wants

By Leslie Gornstein Jul 06, 2011 10:28 PMTags
Casey AnthonyREUTERS/Red Huber/Pool

How much money does Casey Anthony stand to make from the death of her child? I'm talking movies, interviews, photos, books...
—Jacquie S., via Facebook

As much money as she wants, I'm afraid.

If Casey Anthony wants to sell her story for a million dollars (that's the figure being bandied about by Nancy Grace and her flaming crime-fighting bull nostrils of justice), she can. If Anthony wants to charge a news producer another million for a sit-down interview, she can, given that anyone would pay that.

But are there takers?

There are.

For one, the porn business already expressed tentative interest. Vivid Entertainment, the people behind the Kim Kardashian and Pam Anderson sex tapes, told E! they were considering hiring Anthony for a porn gig. Vivid's Steve Hirsch has called Anthony's lawyer, Jose "Pop the Cork" Baez, to float an offer, only to face outrage from the general public.

The porn offer has reportedly been withdrawn. For now. From Vivid, at least.

As for books, movies (the other kind), and the inevitable first interview, no word yet on exactly who will shell out, where and when. But it's gonna happen. It's just gonna.

"If I were her agent," says literary agent Saideh Browne, "she would have started writing the preface yesterday."

Sure, O.J. Simpson's book, If I Did It, was initially quashed because of public outrage. That may happen with Casey Anthony as well. Public opinion may scuttle the book before it's published. But even then, Anthony would still enjoy a generous cash advance, once that she would get to keep.

How much of an advance are we talking? Could be in the six figures, easy.

"Its kind of hard to tell, at this juncture, how much of an advance she'd receive," Browne tells me. "She'd probably ask for a few hundred thousand. but the publishing industry is morphing right now, largely due to digital books, so large publishing houses may be reticent."

Or her advance could be in the millions.

After all, Maria Shriver reportedly could receive a $15 million advance if she chose to write about her life with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor reportedly received a $1.2 million book advance last year to write her memoir, and most people in America have no idea who she even is.

You get the idea.

Onward to films.

That industry is quiet at this hour.

Don't be surprised if a deal is announced, however, perhaps after a waiting period to allow rampaging housefraus to calm the heck down.

As for who might play Anthony in the TV movie, I suggested Lacey Chabert on my Facebook page. But the most popular contender at this hour? None other than Kristen Stewart.

—Additional reporting by Marcus Mulick